By Catherine Geissler
We doubted he would be allowed to run for office. We doubted he would become the Republic Presidential Nominee. We doubted he would be the President Elect.
Our blind faith as a nation has led us to a catastrophic change in American political culture as we knew it, and in turn has gapped the divide between religious and racial tensions where this air of uncertainty leaves us all who aren’t packing for Canada scrambling for a possible reconciliation. When strategy failed us Clinton allies and voters the morning after election night, it marked the beginning of the end for American’s doubting their adversaries whilst forgetting they are also our constituents.
“Trump’s defiance of expectations has itself also become somewhat of a golden rule in American politics in 2016. Written off repeatedly during the Republican primary, and only rarely taken seriously during the general election, he nonetheless epitomizes the same anti-establishment mood,” said Dan Roberts of The Guardian.
The dust is far from settling. Protests have broken out in major American cities located in states that contributed electoral votes for the Clinton ballot. Even after Trump thanked Clinton for her service to America, and centered his speech around uniting the American people, thousands of American’s revolted against Trump’s election in an unprecedented wave of protests across the country.
Citizens and non-citizens now have their attention narrowed in on what Trump will do now that he is the most powerful man on earth. Trump has released his first 100 days plan to the media and American public that is radical to say the least. What is most troubling within this document is his plans for dealing with immigration.
“FOURTH, begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won’t take them back,” states the 100-day action plan to “Make America Great Again”.
“FIFTH, suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered extreme vetting.”
According to Breanne Deppisch of The Washington post, Trump is enabled more than ever to pass such legislature now that the House and the Senate have acquired the majority of seats.
For some this victory is a celebration, for others it’s a jagged pill to swallow.
CNN political commentator Van Jones spoke on the fear emanating from minority communities that is very real, and even more overlooked by mainstream media in America, by calling Trump’s win a symbolism of “a white-lash against a changing country.”
“You guys won, and you need to back off. You need to have a little bit of empathy and understanding for people who are afraid, because your candidate has been one of the most explosively provocative candidates in the history of our country. And there’s a price to be paid for that,” said Jones.
Jones continued on to address Trump directly in a way that encapsulated the fear of Mexican, Muslim and African-Americans.
“When you say you want to take your country back, you got a lot of people who feel that we’re not represented well either. But we don’t want to feel that someone has been elected by throwing away some of us to appeal more deeply to others. This is a deeply painful moment tonight. I know it’s not just about race — there’s more going on than that — but race is here too, and we got to talk about it.”
Will he ban the immigration of Muslims and Syrians fleeing the war? Will he tear apart families for the sake of an illegal-immigrant free America? Will we doubt how far our President Elect will go?
It’s time to stop doubting and start acting. What makes America so great is the power we are privileged to exercise by uniting as a method to rightfully impact the status quo.
